“That’s a lot of flowers. Thank you,” Avery said.
They left the wildflower fields and entered a land void of plants. The rocks were huge and were a pale purple color. She thought, as she got closer to the rocks, that they would be more gray, but the shades of purple remained.
“What do you think of the folk after seeing us?” Savine asked. He became more and more talkative the higher they climbed.
“Well, I only talked to you, your sister, and Weston, so I can’t give you a good read on what I think of the whole species.” Avery shifted the weight of her backpack as she continued climbing. She needed to talk less and concentrate on getting up this mountain. However, despite the recent attack, she felt stronger than she expected. Remarkably, even her shoulder felt normal.
“When we return down the mountain, I’ll introduce you to some of the other fae we’ll be traveling with so you can form a more thorough opinion of us,” Savine said. Avery didn’t bother replying. She would continue denying the possibility that she was stuck here.
After nearly two miles of silent hiking, Savine told her to take a left fork in the trail.
“Can we take a break here? I could use a little snack,” Avery said.
Savine stopped behind her. “I didn’t pack much for food, but we can stop and rest.”
“How about you try some human food?” Avery asked. Avery took off her backpack and dug out two energy bars. “I bet you’ve never had processed food before.” Avery tossed Savine a chocolate-chip-flavored energy bar. Savine stared at the colorful wrapper and for a moment, Avery thought he would put it in his mouth. “Tear open the wrapper. The food is inside.”
Savine tore open the wrapper and pulled out the sticky, blob-like bar. “It smells strange. Unnatural. Are you sure this isedible?”
“Yeah, just take a bite,” Avery said. She had already taken several bites of her own energy bar. As Savine hesitated, Avery added, “What are you, some kind of scaredy-fae? Just take a bite!”
At that, Savine put the bar in his mouth before grinning, with chocolate stuck between his two front teeth. “It’s very sweet. Like syrup. I’ve never tasted chocolate like this either.”
“It’s funny that you call it sweet because compared to a lot of American food and drinks, it’s considered healthy.”
“This? How strange! Is food magic in the human realm?” Savine asked with genuine interest, taking another bite of the bar.
“Not magic. Just science. They engineer processed food to be delicious and addictive. What humans lack in magic, they make up for in technology and science. There are probably a lot of things that you would think are magic on Earth, but are just created through—”
“Avery, get down behind that rock! Quickly!” Savine hissed as he pressed his body to the ground. At that moment, Avery saw a shadow pass over her. A pair of hawks flew overhead. Avery listened to him and threw herself down, despite the threat being a pair of birds.
Finally, he relaxed his body and stood. She followed his cues, picking up her bar from the ground. It was covered in dirt, but she’d lost her appetite, anyway.
“What was that all about?” Avery asked.
“Those weren’t ordinary hawks. They are spies, most likely sent by Rylo, the King of Nephel,” Savine said as he continued to search the sky, but there was nothing there.
“Please don’t tell me you’ve got more than one evil king in this world,” Avery muttered.
“Rylo is one of them, but it will take days for his spies to get back to him.”
“Considering you’re the only person I’ve ever seen kill someone, I guess that’s saying something,” Avery said, trying to lighten the mood. If she didn’t try to make things feel more casual, she might choke on the fear that tightened in her chest.
“We need to make our way to Quartz Mountain. We are about twenty minutes from the top. There’s a temple to Althea you can rest in,” Savine said. He grabbed Avery’s flowers from the ground and began setting a brutal pace. Avery strapped her backpack on and ran to keep up.
The mountain’s elevation was becoming even more steep. Savine’s pace was even more severe, but Avery felt a sense of urgency in Savine’s reaction. She wanted to get to the portal and to safety as quickly as possible. As they climbed, her legs burned, her back ached, and her head throbbed. She pushed herself farther than she thought her body could go.
The surrounding landscape changed from lavender rocks to sharp, jagged crystals. Some were a deep amethyst purple. As they climbed higher and higher, the rocks became clearer until they were translucent. Quartz Mountain in Montana could not compare to the purity and beauty of these perfect quartz crystals.
Her heart pounded as she used her hands and feet to climb up the slick face of a crystal. All this time, Savine had continued his fast pace. He looked at the sky and kept scanning their surroundings. Despite his search, there were no birds flying overhead. She wondered if he may have overreacted.
At the top of the mountain stood a small shelter. She hadn’t noticed this on the day she was transported through the portal. What with the debilitating pain and the blurred vision, plus the battle, she hadn’t had time to take in the views. It was carved out of the crystals and was nobigger than a shed. Avery took off her backpack and leaned it against the building.
“That was the toughest climb I’ve ever done. I’m exhausted,” she said as she leaned against the building. She sat, drinking from her water bottle. Savine let her catch her breath and quench her thirst before speaking to her.
“We should be safe for now. Rest for a moment, then try to return. If you cannot, we will sleep here and leave before dawn tomorrow. Guards will join us this evening, so you’re not in immediate danger here,” Savine growled. He seemed irritated and restless. He did not sit or rest, but continued pacing, hand on the hilt of his sword.
Avery stood up and lifted the heavy pack onto her back. “I’m ready to go now. I’ll feel better once I’m home.”
